An independent freelance reporter in the central Camagüey province, González Raga was tried and sentenced to 14 years in prison in April 2003 under Article 91 of the Cuban penal code, which punishes those who act against “the independence or the territorial integrity of the state.”
In 2004, González Raga was transferred to the Kilo 7 Prison in Central Camagüey, according to his wife, Berta María Bueno Fuentes. In February 2006, González Raga sent an open letter to overseas Web sites pleading for his freedom. In the letter, he said his health was deteriorating under poor prison conditions.
His wife, who said she saw the reporter for two hours every 45 days, said González Raga shared a barracks with more than 100 common prisoners. According to Bueno Fuentes, prison authorities imposed tougher restrictions on Gonzáles Raga than on other inmates. Bueno Fuentes told CPJ that her husband was suffering from a series of mental health ailments, including depression. He has also been diagnosed with hypertension and cardiovascular problems.